Stress during pregnancy alters rat offspring morphology and ultrasonic vocalizations.
Stress during pregnancy, or prenatal stress, is known to alter offspring behavior, morphology and physiology. We found that a heat, light and restraint stressor applied during the third trimester of pregnancy: 1) decreased the weight gain of adult female rats during pregnancy; 2) reduced the weight of pups, as well as the anogenital distance of male offspring, at birth; and 3) increased the number of ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by pups during isolation in a novel environment on Postnatal Day 14. These results closely approximate those we previously observed after peripheral administration of corticotropin-releasing factor to pregnant females during the third trimester. Together, the studies strongly suggest a role for corticotropin-releasing factor and/or other hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system in mediating some of the effects of gestational stress.
Williams
M T
MT
Department of Psychology, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio 45435, USA. MTWILLIA@NOVA.WRIGHT.EDU
Hennessy
M B
MB
Davis
H N
HN
D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone